Frozen Custard: Wisconsin Style

When I lived in Wisconsin from 1979 - 1981, one of my favorite things was Frozen Custard. Far better than mere soft serve ice cream, made with more egg yolks and rich cream, Frozen Custard is a magnificent dairy treat. While Culvers was not in business back when I lived in Wisconsin, it has become one of my favorite places, I suspect because there is this one in Colorado Springs. Albeit 3 hours away, it's one of my favorite places to eat.
Be well. Do Good.

A New Year....New Goals

Rodney the Reindeer, Christmas books I read to the kids when they were small, and our white and red Danish Christmas tree, reminded me of great past Christmas memories with my little family. Once again,I had a great holiday season with my family: Christmas in Grand Junction with one of our daughters and her husband, along with our son who drove to be with us; New Years in Oregon with our other daughter and her husband and our granddaughters, the 1st time I met and held our newest granddaughter. And like her sister, she's wonderful: calm, sweet, beautiful and good. I dearly love these little girls.
Enterman's Toffee in Grand Junction became a new favorite place to hang out. Pittock Mansion in Portland, their "Christmas Around the World", likewise became a new favorite place. And while I've long loved New York City at Christmas time, I've another place I hold dear: Salt Lake City at Christmas is amazingly beautiful. I had seen opera singer Nathan Gunn perform in Vail with NY's Philharmonic Symphony 2 summers ago, but seeing him again, along with actress Jane Seymour, as they presented a fabulous Christmas concert with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, equaled or surpassed anything I've seen in New York. Too, "The Nutcracker" at Ballet West was pleasant: while it did not compare to Chicago/Joffrey's interpretation of it, nor San Francisco's 1908 interpretation, still, the costumes were amazing and we liked the smaller, more intimate theater. We stayed downtown so walked everywhere with ease. The Museum of Art was a block away, I always enjoy a fine art museum and galleries. The University of Utah hosted a fun Jon Schmidt and Steven Sharp Nelson (cello) concert that we enjoyed as well. We enjoyed great food at two of my favorite eateries: The Beehive House and the little Nauvoo Cafe. No one does food like Utah!

And so, with calendars nearby and goals established, I'm chippin' away, day-by-day, enjoying some amazing coral winter sunsets along the way.
Be Well. Do Good

Family Favorites...

Years ago I designed, then had made, a quilted wall hanging that stated each family member's favorite recipe. The bee's buzzing here and there on the quilt were symbolic of "industry", a family value and heritage tradition passed down to us from our grandparents and great-grandparents. Be well, do good.

Kansas City Marathon, Yeah !

I've always loved Kansas City. Historic suburbs of Independence and Liberty, downtown's Hallmark Crown Center, Union Station with it's amazing gild-gold ceiling, and 2nd only to Tuscany, Italy in the number of city-wide fountains. Hence, the nickname, City of Fountains.
And so to be able to run a marathon there this past Saturday,(perfect marathon weather, 67 degrees,) running alongside many of those favorite fountains, was a real joy and sense of fulfillment. 26.2 miles on a very, very rolling hills urban coarse was challenging. But the views along the way? Simply sublime.

Running about mile 11 or so, in their amazingly unique Country Club Plaza district, was unlike anything I've ever done. Built decades ago as the country's first shopping district, the Plaza is of the Seville, Spain design: tiles, wrought iron, and of course... fountains of Spain. Summer had not yet ended so 30,000+ runners passed under scores of massive hanging flower baskets from magnificent ornate black & gold lighted posts in the middle of the boulevard. We ran next to wild roses for the length of these southern-Spain-like streets, as well as a wonderfully wide landscaped river-walk. Unlike other river-walks I so enjoy (San Antonio, Indianapolis, Pueblo, Hartford, and especially Providence), this one is deep and has cascading water, as well as....you guessed it: fountains. And like Rhode Island's, this one also has the occasional weekend multi-sensory music, water, and fire themed WaterFire nights. (google Country Club Plaza/WaterFire).
Some of the neighborhoods along the marathon course were equally beautiful. Whoever designed this marathon course not only opted for challenging hills, but sought to give the runner a view of beauty. They succeeded. On both counts.

Two of the best things I've ever done after a marathon were done here: 1) unabashedly and non-fearful of ridicule, I took off my shoes/socks, hitched up my running shorts, and stepped gingerly into the cold water pool of a fountain in front of Hallmark's Crown Center. I show a photo of that very small, but wonderfully cold water in this blog. I attribute this therapy to my being able to walk later that day over 5 miles in the Plaza district. 2) stopping by The Cheese Cake Factory and rewarding myself with a slice of Pineapple Upside Down Cheesecake, while sitting near their unique fountain was likewise very wise. Does anyone know how to replicate this cheesecake? Maybe CopyCatRecipes.com, it was to die for!

I beat my previous marathon record by 9 minutes; something I was not expecting, given mile after mile of hills. And more hills. I had a really decent pace going most of the race, having great fun... until mile 23. My right knee began to lock. I slowed, walked a bit, but sadly realized somewhere in between 23 & 25 that I would not break the 4 hour marathon mark. However, beginning at mile 25, with only 1.2 miles left, I suddenly loosened up, and finished the race with a nice gait and pace, clocking in at a respectable 4 hours, 13 minutes. Great race. Great city.
Does anyone want to run it with me next year?
Be Well. Do Good.

Fall and Family

Where once I use to dread the Fall season, in the past few years I've come to like it better. One reason is because I've pleasant memories from Fall that sustain me. On this, the 29th Anniversary of our wedding, I'm bewildered by how quickly the time has passed. A bit disjointed, finding my place anew, and wondering, like all of us, what the future holds. But in the midst of this, and while living in these now very precarious times, I have snapshots of joy and happiness. Different than mere pleasure, joy and happiness sustain and uphold. Not euphorically, but even-keeled.

An unexpected SKYPE session with our oldest daughter and her family was fun. We were there just last month, and loved being with them and the beauty of the area where they live, harvesting wild Oregon blackberries & returning to the Portland Rose Gardens, and playing with our granddaughter was just great fun! Living this far away isn't preferable, but technology allows us to see, hear, and experience our lives in real time. I like that a lot.

It's been wonderful having one of our daughters and son in law home with us. On an afternoon drive up the canyon we found a humorous scene: a smaller dog was teasing a tethered larger dog by taking the water dish in his mouth, and running away, taunting and teasing. It was fun to watch.

Last night we played CLUE around the kitchen table, as we did when the kids were at home, getting beaten by this same daughter yet another time, laughing, eating RazzleBerry Pie and Ice Cream after attending the Priesthood Session with my newest son in law, it was a good day. Good meals, sitting together around the table, extremely enjoyable and fulfilling to me.
Be Well. Do Good.